Integrated online and in-store shopping experience

Abstract

Systems and methods for integrating online and in-store shopping are disclosed. The systems include a cashier station located in a store. The cashier station has a register, a product ID input device, and a screen accessible to a customer at the cashier station. An online site configured to facilitate ecommerce transactions between users and the store is also provided. The cashier station is in communication with the online store whereby recommended products are presented to the customer on the screen in response to the input of a product ID at the cashier station allowing the customer to make additional related purchases from the online site contemporaneously with the in-store purchase.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A system for integrating online and in-store shopping, the system comprising:
 a server; 
 a database; 
 a cashier station located in a store, the cashier station including: 
 a POS controller, an optical scanning device; a receipt printer, and a display; 
 the optical scanning device, operatively coupled to the POS controller, (i) scans an optical machine readable representation of a product to be purchased, and (ii) decodes a unique product identifier encoded in the optical machine readable representation; 
 the POS controller (i) transmits product identifier to the server, and (ii) transmits location of the store where the product was scanned; and 
 the server (i) receives the product identifier from the optical scanning device, (ii) queries the database for a recommended product based on the scanned product and location of the store where the product was scanned, and (iii) transmits recommended product information available at a different store than the store in which the product was scanned to the POS controller to be displayed on the display of the cashier station. 
 
     
     
       2. The system of  claim 1  wherein the POS controller (i) controls the display to render the recommended product information on the display; (ii) controls the display to provide an option to purchase the recommended product. 
     
     
       3. The system of  claim 1 , wherein a customer is directed to the different store to retrieve the recommended product and a transaction for the recommended product occurs at the different store. 
     
     
       4. The system of  claim 1 , wherein a customer is directed to the different store to retrieve the recommended product and a transaction for the recommended product occurs at the store. 
     
     
       5. The system of  claim 1 , wherein a transaction for the recommended product occurs at the store and the recommended product is delivered to a specified address. 
     
     
       6. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the recommended product is suggested by a manufacturer for purchase with the product whose product ID was input at the cashier station. 
     
     
       7. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the receipt printer prints on the receipt, order information useable to access an online store order whereby an online store order is capable of being modified. 
     
     
       8. A method for integrating online and in-store shopping, the method comprising:
 scanning, via an optical scanning device operatively coupled to a POS controller, an optical machine readable representation of a product to be purchased; 
 decoding, via the optical scanning device, a unique product identifier encoded in the optical machine readable representation; 
 transmitting, via the POS controller, the unique product identifier and location of store where the product was scanned to a server; 
 receiving, on the server, the unique product identifier of the scanned product; 
 querying, by the server, a database for products recommended based on the scanned product and location of store where product was scanned; 
 transmitting, via the server, to a display operatively coupled to the POS controller, information available at a different store than the store in which the product was scanned to the POS controller to be displayed on the display of the cashier station. 
 
     
     
       9. The method of  claim 8 , further comprising the POS controller (i) controlling the display to render the recommended product information on the display; and (ii) controlling the display to provide an option to purchase the recommended product. 
     
     
       10. The method of  claim 8 , further comprising directing a customer to the different store to retrieve the recommended product and wherein a transaction for the recommended product occurs at the different store. 
     
     
       11. The method of  claim 8 , further comprising directing a customer to the different store to retrieve the recommended product and wherein a transaction for the recommended product occurs at the store. 
     
     
       12. The method of  claim 8 , wherein a transaction for the recommended product occurs at the store and the recommended product is delivered to a specified address. 
     
     
       13. The method of  claim 8 , wherein the recommended product is suggested by a manufacturer for purchase with the product whose product ID was input at the cashier station. 
     
     
       14. The method of  claim 8 , wherein the receipt printer prints on the receipt, order information useable to access an online store order whereby an online store order is capable of being modified.